Ocean Tides

By Dominic Moore ’05

It covers two-thirds of our planet’s surface.
It is a treasury of life, a source of abundant
food, and a cradle of biodiversity. It can also
be a powerfully destructive force, unleashing
energies that devastate property, wreak
economic havoc, and cause tragic loss of
life. Growing up in coastal New Jersey, Porter
Hoagland ’77, P’13 has always been aware of
the complicated relationship between the ocean
and those who lived by its shores and made their
livelihoods from its waters. “As a kid I always
wanted to be a marine biologist,” Hoagland says,
“My hero was Jacques Cousteau.”

A biology major at the Colleges, Hoagland
absorbed as much experience on and under
the water as he could, learning to SCUBA
dive and carrying out lab assignments on The
William Scandling (then the HWS Explorer). After
graduation, his career path took a different
turn when he took a job as a paralegal at a
law firm in Washington, D.C. Despite the new
setting, Hoagland continued to take courses
in the sciences and to nourish his passion for
marine biology, but with a new emphasis. “In
Washington, public policy is at the forefront,”
he says. “And so I began to see a new career for
myself, combining science and public policy in
some way.”

In 1982, Hoagland finished a master’s
degree in marine policy at the University of
Delaware and the following year was offered
a position at
the Woods Hole
Oceanographic
Institution (WHOI).
While there, he
earned another
masters from
Harvard University
and a Ph.D. from
Delaware. “I never
really left Woods
Hole,” Hoagland
remarks.

And why would
he? At the forefront
of research in the
marine sciences, WHOI provides the perfect
place for Hoagland to focus on his passion:
understanding the ocean and the ways in which
it benefits or impacts humans. “Our work
here is really about trying to understand the
biology of the ocean—including understanding
how humans respond to both its valuable and
hazardous aspects.”

One recent example comes from the Gulf
Coast, where toxic algae blooms, known as
“red tides,” can be harmful to humans when
the toxins found in these algae are ingested by
shellfish, and the shellfish are consumed, in
turn, by humans. Hoagland and his colleagues
continue to research the subject, analyzing the
potential harms to public
health and seeking ways
to mitigate the economic
and ecological impacts
that red tides can inflict.

Hoagland’s work
has taken a distinctively
economic focus in recent
years, with the destruction
caused by Hurricane
Sandy and the threat of
sea-level rise putting
shoreline management
and conservation into
the public eye. Hoagland
studies the best ways
to manage the risks of coastal development,
involving choices between protecting coastal
properties and retreating from the shoreline.

“The research we do at Woods Hole finds its
way out to people interested in practical issues,”
Hoagland says. “Our research is always evolving,
reflecting the complex relationship between
humans and the ocean.”